This invention relates to a pre-starter for use with a sod roll-up mechanism in a sod harvester.
Automatic sod harvesters which cut a strip of sod from a field of sod, and then form the cut strip into discrete rolls of sod, have been well-known since the late 1960""s. More recently, there has been a trend to providing mechanisms which can receive and store a number of sod rolls, and which can then transfer the stored rolls onto a pallet. An example of such a mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,239 to Hutchison.
In mechanisms which automatically handle and manipulate sod rolls, it is desirable for the rolls to be formed consistently. Preferably the start and end points of the sod strip which forms the sod roll should be accurately and consistently positioned, so that the roll handling mechanisms will have a minimal number of variations with which to deal.
Normally the sod to be formed into a roll is located on a conveyor which carries the cut sod upwardly and rearwardly from a sod undercutting blade, to a sod roll-up mechanism. Such mechanisms include a starter for starting a turn in the end of the strip of sod travelling up the conveyor. These sod roll-up mechanisms have been very well-known for many years.
A difficulty with prior art devices for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip is that they often perform inconsistently. In some cases they may fail to start a turn, and in other cases they may start a turn at different positions along the conveyor, thus causing the end of the sod strip which forms the roll to be located at different angular positions in the finished rolls. As mentioned, this is undesirable for automated sod roll handling equipment.
It is therefore an object of the invention, in one of its aspects, to provide a pre-starter for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip travelling along a conveyor. The pre-starter is intended to operate in conjunction with a conventional sod rolling device which rolls the strip of sod the end of which has been turned up by the pre-starter.
In one aspect, the invention provides a pre-starter for turning the end of a sod strip moving rearwardly along a conveyor, said strip having an upper surface and a rear edge, said pre-starter comprising a pressure member extending across said sod strip and having a rear end, a support for said pressure member, said support pivotably supporting said pressure member with said rear end thereof sloping downwardly and rearwardly to press against said upper surface of said sod strip to cause said end of said strip to curl upwardly.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.